Read the excerpt from Thomas Paine’s Common Sense and answer the question.
The powers of governing still remaining in the hands of the king, he will have a negative over the whole legislation of this continent. And as he hath shown himself such an inveterate enemy to liberty, and discovered such a thirst for arbitrary power; is he, or is he not, a proper man to say to these colonies, "You shall make no laws but what I please." And is there any inhabitant in America so ignorant, as not to know, that according to what is called the present constitution, that this continent can make no laws but what the king gives leave to; and is there any man so unwise, as not to see, that (considering what has happened) he will suffer no law to be made here, but such as suit his purpose.
What was Paine’s argument?
Responses
1. Colonies must be willing to fight for their independence or they would always be subject to the King's unjust laws
2. Colonies must be willing to fight for their independence or they would have to return to England
3. Colonies should not revolt against the King because his laws are just
4. Colonies should not revolt because the Constitution would protect their rights
1. Colonies must be willing to fight for their independence or they would always be subject to the King's unjust laws
To determine Paine's argument in the excerpt, we need to analyze his statements and the reasoning behind them. In the passage, Paine criticizes the idea that the king should have the power to govern the American colonies and exert control over their legislation. He points out that the king has shown himself to be an enemy of liberty and has a thirst for arbitrary power. Paine questions whether the king, with his authoritarian tendencies, is the right person to dictate the laws of the colonies.
Furthermore, Paine asserts that according to the present constitution, the colonies can only make laws that the king permits. He insinuates that the king would manipulate this power and only allow laws that suit his own purposes, disregarding the needs and rights of the colonies.
Given this analysis, it is evident that Paine's argument is aligned with option 1: Colonies must be willing to fight for their independence or they would always be subject to the King's unjust laws. Paine believes that the colonies should not tolerate the king's control and should resist in order to maintain their freedom and avoid being subjected to laws imposed by an oppressive ruler.